Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose turbine blade assemblies to these high temperatures. As a result, turbine blades and turbine vanes must be made of materials capable of withstanding such high temperatures. Turbine blades, vanes and other components often contain cooling systems for prolonging the life of these items and reducing the likelihood of failure as a result of excessive temperatures.
Typically, turbine vanes extend radially inward from a vane carrier and terminate within close proximity of a rotor assembly, and turbine blades extend radially outward and terminate within close proximity of the vane carrier. The turbine vanes and blades typically include a plurality of cooling channels positioned in internal aspects therein to cool the vanes and blades from heat acquired from the combustor exhaust gases. As the engines run at ever increasing loads, a need exists for novel cooling systems for the turbine airfoils.